TEDxRedmond 2011

TEDxRedmond was a little over a week ago, and there is truly no other word to describe it than AMAZING. If you really think about it, the idea of having an event run entirely by kids, featuring all-youth speakers, and being attended by kids is a mind-blowing one. Especially when that event is one of the larger TEDx events in the world.

Personally, I believe that it says something about the power of youth that TEDxRedmond is one of the largest TEDx events out there. Why is it that the event created by and for kids is so successful? Through TEDxRedmond, we’re hoping to answer that question.

Six months of hard work, staying up late, five-hour work meetings, constant emails, and frantic preparation came down to one day of 10+ hours for the folks behind-the-scenes. For you, we hope it was a day that you’ll never forget and one that changed your life in some (however small) way.

We want to thank you for taking seven or more hours of your busy Saturday to join us. You could have gone shopping, you could have played soccer, you could have spent that gloriously sunny day doing anything else, but you chose to spend it at TEDxRedmond, learning and being inspired. Without an audience, TEDxRedmond cannot be what it is today: a platform for kids to be heard and to encourage others to chase their dreams. These platforms are all too uncommon, sadly (think of how many times you’ve heard adults tell you that you’re “too young” to do something), and we believe that the world needs to stop, stand, and listen to the youth, because we are not too young to make a difference.

Each one of our incredible speakers had a common message: that there truly is a spark in all of us. You, the audience — you have that spark. You have the potential to do great things and to change the world for the better.